Central NY homeless man suffers burns in tent fire

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a fire in a tent at a homeless encampment in central New York has left a 53-year-old man with serious burns.

Police in Ithaca tell local media outlets that the fire was reported around 3 p.m. Wednesday in a wooded area where homeless people are known to camp.

When emergency responders arrived on the scene, they found a man with burns on his body. Police say an employee at a nearby lumber store saw the man on fire and used snow to help extinguish the flames.

Officials say the homeless man was taken to Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca before being transferred to a regional burn unit, where he’s in critical condition.